I know I've been lax in posting here at the end of summer, but I'm hoping once we get back in the fall routine, I'll have more time to chat with you all.
I came across this website from Mississippi State University.
They have an application that shows the locations and arrival times for the buses in this system.
Now, Mary rarely takes the bus at WDW (remember, I'm a control freak in that department.), but so many WDW Resort Guests rely on the Disney Transportation System to get them to and from their locations.
Live Maps to see where the buses are. Arrival Times to see when the bus will arrive at a given stop.
This wouldn't be valuable just to the information junkie, but also to the mom whose kids are getting a little wiggly who can say, "The bus will be here in 6 minutes."
What do you think?
Showing posts with label transportation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label transportation. Show all posts
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Southwest Airlines - New Favorite Airline...Or Not?
Sorry for my recent absence. It's been one of those things where work and life got in the way of posting here.
Earlier this week, I headed to Chicago for a business conference. For those of you who don't know, my home airport is MSP (Minneapolis) and Delta is the major player in town. I rarely get the deals that airports, say on the east coast, tend to offer.
I would usually fly NWA-now-Delta into Chicago-Midway for my conference because they had a time schedule I liked and usually met the prices of the "other guys." Well all the other airlines had dropped the route for this year.
Until Southwest came to town.
Like all WDW fans, I'm well aware of the reputation that Southwest has among the flying public. Low fares, on-time, friendly, etc.
So when Southwest came to town, I was glad they finally entered the MSP market. Initially, I was hoping SWA would influence fares to MCO.
But since I needed to head to MDW and Southwest flew there, I thought I'd check the schedule and see if it would work for me.
Actually, it turns out Southwest worked way better than Delta. I didn't want to spend any more money on the expensive conference hotel room than I had to. But I needed to be to McCormick Place in Chicago by 9am. Delta's first flight didn't leave MSP until after 7am. But SWA had a 6am flight that got me into MDW at 7:25am. The return flight options were good so I booked with SWA.
Since I was on a time schedule, I paid the $10 Early Bird fee so I didn't have to get up and check-in to get the coveted "A" boarding pass.
"What's that?", you say? Well, SWA doesn't have assigned seating. You board in three groups: A, B and C. Obviously, if you get to board with the A group, you have the best choice of seats.
Like all airlines, you can only check-in online 24 hours ahead of time. And it's first come, first serve. So you need to be online at the right time, with everyone else, to get a "good spot."
If you don't care where you are on the plane, then SWA is definitely your deal. I am totally anal about where I sit on the plane. I need to be in an aisle - it's a control thing - and I want to be as far forward as possible. So that's why I did the Early Bird.
Anyway, back to the flights themselves.
I wasn't sure how I'd like what the traveling public refers to as the "cattle call" that SWA uses to board its planes.
At the gate in Humphrey Terminal, there were six posts in the floor, spaced equally apart. Each post had a set of numbers on it on each side. One side went: 1-5, 6-10, etc. through 30. The other side was 31-35, 36-40, etc. through 60. As each group is called, passengers line up in the order that is printed on their boarding pass.
Each flight, I had A20. FYI, A1-15 is reserved for Business Select - essentially the biz traveler who's paying the higher fare.
I honestly thought it would take longer with people seeking out an open seat. But it went REALLY fast.
Let me repeat that: It went REALLY fast.
I don't know exactly what time we pushed back from the gate, but I can tell you, we arrived at our gate in Chicago at 7:12am - almost 15 minutes early. And it wasn't because we caught a tailwind.
The flight back boarded a lot slower. But there were issues beyond SWA's control. The usual people carrying on a bag that's too large seemed out of place for SWA. I mean, come on, you can check two bags for FREE with them! Check your big honkin' bag already!
Now, here's what I didn't like about SWA:
1. Seats.
The seats were very uncomfortable for me. They seemed permanently reclined even when fully upright. If I leaned into the seat back for any length of time, my lower back was killing me. I felt like I needed a pillow or something for some lumbar support. I can't imagine how bad my back would have felt on a flight to MCO that's three times the length of a flight to MDW.
2. Check-In Reminder Email
Maybe I didn't get this because I signed up for Early Bird. But I never got one reminding me to print out my boarding pass. I'm not one to need it, but it would have been nice when I was traveling to receive one.
Bottom Line: Southwest's operations made a favorable impression. But the uncomfortable seats combined with no available non-stop flights to MCO means that they'd have to have a seriously low fare for me to fly them on a Disney vacation.
Earlier this week, I headed to Chicago for a business conference. For those of you who don't know, my home airport is MSP (Minneapolis) and Delta is the major player in town. I rarely get the deals that airports, say on the east coast, tend to offer.
I would usually fly NWA-now-Delta into Chicago-Midway for my conference because they had a time schedule I liked and usually met the prices of the "other guys." Well all the other airlines had dropped the route for this year.
Until Southwest came to town.
Like all WDW fans, I'm well aware of the reputation that Southwest has among the flying public. Low fares, on-time, friendly, etc.
So when Southwest came to town, I was glad they finally entered the MSP market. Initially, I was hoping SWA would influence fares to MCO.
But since I needed to head to MDW and Southwest flew there, I thought I'd check the schedule and see if it would work for me.
Actually, it turns out Southwest worked way better than Delta. I didn't want to spend any more money on the expensive conference hotel room than I had to. But I needed to be to McCormick Place in Chicago by 9am. Delta's first flight didn't leave MSP until after 7am. But SWA had a 6am flight that got me into MDW at 7:25am. The return flight options were good so I booked with SWA.
Since I was on a time schedule, I paid the $10 Early Bird fee so I didn't have to get up and check-in to get the coveted "A" boarding pass.
"What's that?", you say? Well, SWA doesn't have assigned seating. You board in three groups: A, B and C. Obviously, if you get to board with the A group, you have the best choice of seats.
Like all airlines, you can only check-in online 24 hours ahead of time. And it's first come, first serve. So you need to be online at the right time, with everyone else, to get a "good spot."
If you don't care where you are on the plane, then SWA is definitely your deal. I am totally anal about where I sit on the plane. I need to be in an aisle - it's a control thing - and I want to be as far forward as possible. So that's why I did the Early Bird.
Anyway, back to the flights themselves.
I wasn't sure how I'd like what the traveling public refers to as the "cattle call" that SWA uses to board its planes.
At the gate in Humphrey Terminal, there were six posts in the floor, spaced equally apart. Each post had a set of numbers on it on each side. One side went: 1-5, 6-10, etc. through 30. The other side was 31-35, 36-40, etc. through 60. As each group is called, passengers line up in the order that is printed on their boarding pass.
Each flight, I had A20. FYI, A1-15 is reserved for Business Select - essentially the biz traveler who's paying the higher fare.
I honestly thought it would take longer with people seeking out an open seat. But it went REALLY fast.
Let me repeat that: It went REALLY fast.
I don't know exactly what time we pushed back from the gate, but I can tell you, we arrived at our gate in Chicago at 7:12am - almost 15 minutes early. And it wasn't because we caught a tailwind.
The flight back boarded a lot slower. But there were issues beyond SWA's control. The usual people carrying on a bag that's too large seemed out of place for SWA. I mean, come on, you can check two bags for FREE with them! Check your big honkin' bag already!
Now, here's what I didn't like about SWA:
1. Seats.
The seats were very uncomfortable for me. They seemed permanently reclined even when fully upright. If I leaned into the seat back for any length of time, my lower back was killing me. I felt like I needed a pillow or something for some lumbar support. I can't imagine how bad my back would have felt on a flight to MCO that's three times the length of a flight to MDW.
2. Check-In Reminder Email
Maybe I didn't get this because I signed up for Early Bird. But I never got one reminding me to print out my boarding pass. I'm not one to need it, but it would have been nice when I was traveling to receive one.
Bottom Line: Southwest's operations made a favorable impression. But the uncomfortable seats combined with no available non-stop flights to MCO means that they'd have to have a seriously low fare for me to fly them on a Disney vacation.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Why I Rent a Car at Disney World
After reading that title, you may be thinking, "Why would I rent a car when I can use Magical Express and the bus system for free?"
Believe me, I'm a bargain hunter just like you are. I understand the value of "free."
But for me, it's not just about the money.
I rent a car every time I go to Disney World. That's right; every single time.
I won't go into a long dissertation, but here are the salient points:
1. Control.
I'm so Type-A, it's not even funny. I never sit by the window on the plane. Never. If I'm not driving, there's no point. I need to be in control of my transportation.
Waiting for the Magical Express when I could be in my own car, on the way to Mickey's place? Why would I waste that time?
Waiting in line for a bus at the park to take me back to my resort? I really don't want to wait in a line for the bus, only to have to wait for two buses because there were so many people that it filled the first bus. I could have taken the tram to my car and been out of there and on my way faster.
Control for me also means freedom. I'm not a slave to the system. Did you know that Disney tells you to plan for an hour to get from one place to another - one way - using their transportation system? An hour! Now, it may not always take that long, but it gives me a headache just thinking about that.
2. Flexibility.
Flexibility straddles control in some ways, but it has its own part of this picture.
I always stop at the grocery store on the way to Disney World from the airport. Sure, I could use a grocery service or use the limited selection that Disney has in its resort gift shops. I like to pick out my own food and beverages. I know what brands and off-brands are acceptable to me when I see them. A grocery service could ask me what's acceptable and half the time, I wouldn't know unless I was in the aisle looking right at it.
You might argue that shopping for my own groceries wastes my time. I don't consider it a waste of my time if I know that I'm getting everything I want and I don't have to go back because I forgot to put something on the list.
I also enjoy eating at Disney Resort restaurants. There is no direct transportation option between resorts. For example, if I was staying at the Beach Club and I wanted to have dinner at Kona Cafe at the Polynesian, and I didn't have a car, it would probably take me at least an hour (as Disney suggests) to get there. I'd walk through Epcot, get on the Epcot monorail to the Transportation and Ticket Center, transfer to the Resort Monorail and ride it to the Polynesian.
Sounds cumbersome, doesn't it?
I could get in my car and drive from the Beach Club to the Polynesian and be there in ten minutes.
Another plus is that if I want to go off-site (gasp!) to Discovery Cove or maybe just hit 31 Flavors for some Daquiri Ice, I can do that.
3. Privacy and Comfort
Let's face it; no matter when you go to Disney World, there are other people there.
When I've been on my feet for several hours, the last thing I really want to do is get on a crowded bus and stand some more. If I happen to be on a bus that services multiple resorts, I may have to wait through a couple of stops before I can get off, much less sit down.
When I have my own car, each person in the party has their own seat and we have only one stop.
Now you probably all think that I'm bashing Disney's transportation system. I'm really not. Considering the number of people, the number of resorts and the number of square miles Disney World covers, their transportation system is really quite good.
I'm just an odd duck that has to have a rental car to be happy on my vacation.
Believe me, I'm a bargain hunter just like you are. I understand the value of "free."
But for me, it's not just about the money.
I rent a car every time I go to Disney World. That's right; every single time.
I won't go into a long dissertation, but here are the salient points:
1. Control.
I'm so Type-A, it's not even funny. I never sit by the window on the plane. Never. If I'm not driving, there's no point. I need to be in control of my transportation.
Waiting for the Magical Express when I could be in my own car, on the way to Mickey's place? Why would I waste that time?
Waiting in line for a bus at the park to take me back to my resort? I really don't want to wait in a line for the bus, only to have to wait for two buses because there were so many people that it filled the first bus. I could have taken the tram to my car and been out of there and on my way faster.
Control for me also means freedom. I'm not a slave to the system. Did you know that Disney tells you to plan for an hour to get from one place to another - one way - using their transportation system? An hour! Now, it may not always take that long, but it gives me a headache just thinking about that.
2. Flexibility.
Flexibility straddles control in some ways, but it has its own part of this picture.
I always stop at the grocery store on the way to Disney World from the airport. Sure, I could use a grocery service or use the limited selection that Disney has in its resort gift shops. I like to pick out my own food and beverages. I know what brands and off-brands are acceptable to me when I see them. A grocery service could ask me what's acceptable and half the time, I wouldn't know unless I was in the aisle looking right at it.
You might argue that shopping for my own groceries wastes my time. I don't consider it a waste of my time if I know that I'm getting everything I want and I don't have to go back because I forgot to put something on the list.
I also enjoy eating at Disney Resort restaurants. There is no direct transportation option between resorts. For example, if I was staying at the Beach Club and I wanted to have dinner at Kona Cafe at the Polynesian, and I didn't have a car, it would probably take me at least an hour (as Disney suggests) to get there. I'd walk through Epcot, get on the Epcot monorail to the Transportation and Ticket Center, transfer to the Resort Monorail and ride it to the Polynesian.
Sounds cumbersome, doesn't it?
I could get in my car and drive from the Beach Club to the Polynesian and be there in ten minutes.
Another plus is that if I want to go off-site (gasp!) to Discovery Cove or maybe just hit 31 Flavors for some Daquiri Ice, I can do that.
3. Privacy and Comfort
Let's face it; no matter when you go to Disney World, there are other people there.
When I've been on my feet for several hours, the last thing I really want to do is get on a crowded bus and stand some more. If I happen to be on a bus that services multiple resorts, I may have to wait through a couple of stops before I can get off, much less sit down.
When I have my own car, each person in the party has their own seat and we have only one stop.
Now you probably all think that I'm bashing Disney's transportation system. I'm really not. Considering the number of people, the number of resorts and the number of square miles Disney World covers, their transportation system is really quite good.
I'm just an odd duck that has to have a rental car to be happy on my vacation.
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